Contour transfer device



y 1948; E. E. GREENWELL 2,445,324

CONTOUR TRANSFER DEVICE Filed June 24, 1946 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 mmvrm E ar/ 5 Greenwel/ ATTORNEY y 1943- E. E. GREENWELL CONTOUR TRANSFER DEVICE 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed June 24, 1946 INVENTOR.

E ar/ 5 Gr eenwe/L ATTORNEY Patented July 20, 1948 UNITED STATES PAT N OFFICE 2,445,324 I I coN'roUR TRANSFER DEVICE Earl Greenwell, Vallejo, Calif. Application June 24, 1946, Serial No. 678,760 7 (01. 33-175) 7 I (Granted under the act of March 3, '1883; as

3 Claims.

amended April '30, 1928; 370 0. G. 757) This inventionrelates to a contour transfer device. I

Objects of the invention are to provide a device for transferring or duplicating the contour of irregular surfaces especially those relating to propeller blades and to provide a contour transfer devicewhich is simple in design and easy to manufacture and operate.

In accomplishing these and other objects of the present invention, I have provided improved details of structure, the preferred form, of which is illustrated in the accompanying drawings,

wherein: I 1

FIg, l is a plan view of a contour transfer device embodying the features of the present invention.

Fig. 2 is a cross section'of the deviceof Fig. 1 taken along the lines 22.

Fig. 3 is an exploded view of one complete set of the elements of Fig. 1.

Fig. 4 is a fragmentary elevation of the device of Fig. 1; and

Fig. 5 is a cross section of the device of Fig. l

v taken along the lines 5-5.

. 3 has a dovetail tenon 8 engageable with the mortise 2 in the base I and has two transversely extending tongues 9 and III. The locking bar 5 is provided with two parallel longitudinal grooves II and I2 while the locking bar 6 is provided with identical grooves I3 and I4. The tongue 9 is slidably received in the groove I I while the tongue I is slidably received in the groove I3. The sliding beam 4 lies atop the carriage 3 and is provided with tongues l and I6 on opposite sides thereof to be slidably received by the grooves I2 and I4 respectively when the device is assembled, as shown in Figs. 2, 4, and 5. The carriage 3 by its dovetail engagement with the base I and its tongue and groove engagement with the beam '4 constrains the beam 4 substantially to motion perpendicular to the longitudinal dimension of the base and thus prevents the beam 4 from becoming skew to the base I in which position it could not be locked. The beam 4 at its outer end is slotted as shown at H and pierced with an opening I8 through opposite walls of the slot to receive a pin I9. The contour shoe I is adapted to have its outer surface 20 engage a portion'of the contour of any surface to be copied and is provided at its other end with a reduced rounded portion 2| adapted to fit within the slot II. The portion 2| is provided with an elongated slot 22 through which the pin I9 extends when the device is assembled. In assembling the de vice a plurality of transfer units are mounted on the'base by sliding the dovetail tenons 8 into the mortise 2. An endstop 23 fastened to the base by any suitable means such as screws 24 is provided to limit motion of the units in one direction. 'To' prevent any undesired movement of the parts away from the base I a cover plate 25 of Lucite or other suitable material is attached at one end to the stop 23 and at its other end to thebase I by means of screws 26. The screws 26 tothe left inFig. 1 are surrounded by spacers 21 which serve to space the cover plate 25 from the base I. To lock all the units simultaneously a cam lock lever 28 is provided havinga cam surface 29 adapted to engage'the adjacent locking bar 5a. The lever 28 is pivotally connected to the base I by means of a bolt 30. A heel plate 3| is attached to one side of the base by' any suitable means such as screws 32. Theheel plate 3| is adapted to engage'a fixed surface to serve as a referenceplane from which the adjustable members extend when the device is in use.

Operation To use the device the cam lever 28 is rotated clockwise as'viewed in Fig. 1 thus releasing the pressure on the adjacent locking bar 5a and on all the transfer units. The device is now placed on a table or other suitable surface with the heel plate 3| in contact with some fixed portion to establish a reference line and the various sliding beams represented by the numeral 4 are pushed toward the object such as a propeller blade, whose contour is to be transferred, until each of the contour shoes represented by the numeral I is in engagement with the adjacent portion of the object. The individual shoes can be pivoted about the loose pivotal connection formed by the slot 22 and the pin I9 so as to provide a close fit against the outline of the propeller blade. As each shoe is placed in its final position it is held there by sliding the pairs of locking bars represented by the numerals 5 and 6 until they engage the shoe at points such as 33 and 34 respectively on opposite sides of the pivot axis thus preventing motion of the shoe relative to the beam 4. After all looking bars have been set they are simultaneously locking by rotating the lever 28 counterclockwise as viewed in Fig. 1 so that the cam surface 29 engaging the adjacent edge of the locking bar a forces each of the units against its neighbor by contralateral pressure of the entire group against the end piece 23. pressure provides suflicient fries tion to prevent the beams 4 or the lockin bars 5 and 6 from moving. The entire device may now be lifted from the propeller blade or other ob,- ject and the contour described by the plurality of shoes I will be a close duplication. of the sureface of the object. The device may now be u ed. as a template to test the accuracy of a proposed reproduction of the object or may he used as it guide for drawing a copy of the surface.

It is apparent that the base I may be made as long as desired for large objects with a pro portionately increased number of contour trans.- fer units. Also, the size of the contour shoes 1 m y be made as small as d sired to more closely approach. the exact curve oi any surface to be copied by the simple expedient of corresponding= 1y decreasing the size of other parts oi each unit.

While I have shown but one embod ment of my invention; it s apparent that the device is susceptible to modification without departing f m th spirit of the invention. I d not wish th refore, to b limi ed by the disclosures se forth, ut on y by the scope of the appended claims- The inven ion des ribed herein m y be menu factored and used by or for the Government of the United .States of America for go r mental purposes with ut the payment oi any roya ties thereon or therefor.

I claim:

.1, A contour transiei d vice compr sing a base having a roove formed therein; a plurality of transfer units moun ed adjac nt each other on id base; each unit including a ca ri ge having a tenonportion for engagement with the roove in said base, and having a tongue on each of two opposite sid s ther of; a locking he having a pair of p allel gr oves, the first of which ooves slidably engages one f id ton es; a second lockin bar having a pair of grooves, the first of which grooves slidably engage the other of said. tongues; a be m h ving ongues on the o posite sides th reof in slidable en a em n with the second 'said grooves of said pairs in said locking bars; a contour shoe loosely pivoted to said beam adjacent one end thereof, the ends of said locking bars being adapted for contact Wi h said s oe on e h r i e i i s piv ta connec ion to l ck said h in posit on; s op me ns adjacent one end of aid base to li it movem nt 4 of said units along the groove in said base; a cover plate fixed to said base to prevent displacement of said units away from said base; and a locking cam pivoted to said base adjacent the end of said base opposite said stop means for locking said plurality of units against said stop means.

2. A contour transfer device comprising a base having a mortise formed therein; a plurality of transfer units mounted adjacent each other on said base; each unit including a carriage having a. tenon portion for sli'dable engagement with said mortise, and having a pair of parallel tongues on opposite sides thereof extending transversely relative to said tenon portion; a first locking bar having a pair of parallel grooves on one side thereof, one of which grooves slidably receives one of said tongues on said carriage; a second locking bar havin a pair of parallel grooves, one of which slidably receives the other of said ton ues on said carriage; a slidin beam overlying said carriage and having a pair of para lel tongues on opposite sides thereoislldably received in the othe roove of said pairs of grooves in said bars; a contour shoe loos ly pivoted to said beam adjacent one end thereoi; a cover p a v y ng said units and fixed to said a st p means adjacent ne end oi. said base for limiting movement of said units, a cam lock nivotally mounted on sa d base adjacent the other end thereof .fo lo ing said units in position against said stop mean 3. A contour transfer device comprising a base, a lurality .of beams a iu tably mounted r lativ to the base. contour shoes carried by the beams and. adjustable relative thereto, means to hold said contour ho s in adjus d, p iti n relative to said beams, and means for simultaneously loc ing said eams nd sa d holding me ns to render said contour shoes immovable relative to said base,

EARL E.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the l file of this patent;

UNITED STATES PATENTS 

